


I Hear You

by hyeongjunz



Category: Produce 101 (TV), Produce X 101 - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Fluff and Angst, M/M, MINGLEM, Minren - Freeform, Produce 101 - Freeform, Romance, pdx101
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2020-04-23 09:51:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19148632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyeongjunz/pseuds/hyeongjunz
Summary: hello! this is a work of fiction and is intended for entertainment. please enjoy and give me some feed back uwutwitter: @softhyeong





	1. Loneliness

**Author's Note:**

> hello! this is a work of fiction and is intended for entertainment. please enjoy and give me some feed back uwu
> 
> twitter: @softhyeong

               The second year of high school is one of the most important years of a student’s life. Before senior year, a student must decide on what to do with his life. Deciding what career path to take, which college to go to, and what must one sacrifice. Aside from these, at this point in life, everything – from breakdowns, falling in love, heartbreaks, adventures, and the like – happen because everyone is chasing after the youth they are losing.

               On his second year, Minkyu was nominated as class president and unanimously won. He was smart, trusted by everyone even his teachers, responsible, and the list goes on, but he was lonely. Never did he admit to the loneliness he felt, but he was aware that it existed within him.

               A month before midterms, a student transferred into class 2-5. His bangs covered his forehead and his oversized uniform made him look smaller despite having above average height. He was fiddled with his fingers as he stood in front while the teacher was writing his name on the board. Everyone quietly stared at him because it was very irregular for someone to transfer midyear.

              “This Song Hyeongjun. He moved to Seoul the other day, so I hope you help make him feel welcome,” the teacher introduced Hyeongjun, who was blushing from embarrassment. “You can take a seat beside Minkyu, over there,” he pointed to the vacant seat in the third row beside Minkyu. The shy new boy then walks over to the seat and nods his head to Minkyu as a greeting. “Minkyu, I’m leaving you in-charge of Hyeongjun,” the teacher said before erasing the writing on the board and proceeded with his lecture.

               Minkyu, after being left with the job no one else wants, sighs and looks over at Hyeongjun, who timidly brings out his notebook. “I’m Kim Minkyu by the way,” Minkyu introduced himself but Hyeongjun just looks at him briefly and nods. “I’m the class president so if you have any questions, I’ll try to help you,” he adds but Hyeongjun gives the same gesture as a reply. After his failed second attempt, Minkyu stops pestering his seatmate and start to take notes, like usual.

               Five minutes afterwards, Minkyu noticed how flustered Hyeongjun looked. Since the boy never spoke up, Minkyu quietly tried to understand why and then he noticed how Hyeongjun kept looking through his pencil case and bag. Slyly, Minkyu slides over to Hyeongjun’s side of the desk an extra mechanical pencil before going back to listening and writing.

               Two minutes later, Minkyu saw Hyeongjun stick a note on his side of the table. It read: _Thank you, Class Pres Minkyu_. At the corner of the note, there was a bunny doodle with a bubble that said “ _fwighting!!!_ ” It made Minkyu smile shyly but he shrugged it off because he didn’t want to be distracted.

               After class, Minkyu was called outside by their teacher. He followed their teacher outside where they had a short talk – about Hyeongjun.

               “Minkyu, I hope you can be a good friend to Hyeongjun,” his teacher sighed.

               “Sure, there won’t be a problem,” Minkyu answered. _I can’t say no, even if I wanted to_ , he thought to himself. It’s not unusual for him to be entrusted with something others don’t want to do anyway.

               “I believe you’ll be able to help him.”

               “Help him?”

               His teacher coughs to clear his throat, avoiding the topic. “Well, don’t forget to collect the essay I asked you guys to write last week. Place in on my desk after class, alright?” His teacher told him, without giving him a moment to think.

               “Uhm…will do,” Minkyu answers before receiving a pat on his upper arm. He returns to the class room after the short but weird talk to their teacher. He shakes his head and tried to remain unbothered. “Hey, leave your essays on my desk before you guys go home!” He shouted, and everyone gave him a thumbs up.

                When Minkyu was going back to his desk, he saw how a few of his classmates started to crowd the new student. He sat down on his seat and noticed how Hyeongjun’s eyes were filled with anxiety and how he wasn’t smiling comfortably. Their classmates kept asking Hyeongjun questions about where his hometown was, what high school did he come from, what K-pop group we liked, among others. But at some point, someone asked, “why aren’t you answering us?” And everyone grew silent and just looked at Hyeongjun. That was when Minkyu snapped because he knew how nervous Hyeongjun must have been in those few minutes.

                “Okay, that’s enough. He’s growing uncomfortable with the amount of questions you kept throwing at him,” Minkyu frustratedly said. After hearing that, everyone apologized to Hyeongjun and even Minkyu. Despite feeling flustered and anxious, Hyeongjun gestured with that it was alright and that they don’t need to apologize.

 _“Why are you apologizing_?” Minkyu thought as he looked at Hyeongjun’s gestures. He sighed, and the day just continued as usual, except that Hyeongjun kept smiling at Minkyu whenever they meet eyes. A smile filled with innocence and his eyes that showed sincerity. Somehow, it brought relief to the flustered Minkyu.

               **12:30 PM**. It was time for lunch. As Minkyu was standing up, he felt a hand tugged on his sleeve. He looked back and it was Hyeongjun who looked lost. He didn’t know what to do since he had momentarily forgotten that Hyeongjun was new and never spoke a word to anyone, not even Minkyu himself.

               “Donghyun, I think I’ll pass up lunch with you guys,” Minkyu told his friend who was waiting with the others by the door. Being a good friend, Donghyun read and understood the situation and said they’d go ahead.

               “Want to join me for lunch then?” Minkyu asks Hyeongjun who was still clinging onto his sleeve. Hyeongjun nods and just follows Minkyu to the eating hall.

               The entire time, Hyeongjun just points, nods, or shakes his head, but no one from the staff or faculty-in-charge wondered why. The more Minkyu saw it, he suddenly felt bothered again to as why Hyeongjun never spoke a word. When they sat down with their food tray with them, they started eating, until Minkyu decided to break the silence to appease his internal conflicts.

               “Hyeongjun,” he said, which catches the attention of the boy stuffing his mouth with rice. “Why don’t you talk to others?” Minkyu asks the boy sitting in front of him. It was just utter silence for few minutes because Hyeongjun didn’t answer, but instead kept looking down on his lap.

               “It’s fine if you don’t want to answer. I understand,” Minkyu said in defeat. He didn’t want to make Hyeongjun even more uncomfortable than he already was.

               A few hours passed since lunch time and it was already time to go home. Everyone was already packing up their things and left their paper on Minkyu’s desk. While everyone was leaving their papers, Minkyu took the chance to go to the restroom.

               After feeling guilty for what happened earlier at the eating hall, Hyeongjun started to neatly stack the essay left by everyone because he didn’t was Minkyu, his first friend, to be troubled. He smiled while doing it because he thought Minkyu wouldn’t be mad at him anymore.

               When Minkyu had gotten back, he saw the deed Hyeongjun had done for him and felt a bit more flustered – opposite of what his new classmate had intended to happen. Hyeongjun gave him the papers and smile again.

               “Thanks,” Minkyu said and Hyeongjun replied with a thumbs up and smile. A few minutes later, Minkyu still stood there with Hyeongjun. He was really bothered by the fact that the boy in front of him, never spoke a word but keeps doing good things. He looked at Hyeongjun again, but this time he saw the guy making a gesture – trying to say that it was getting late. “Oh no,” Minkyu resisted the urge to curse.

               In a rush, Minkyu tries to get to the faculty room. Momentarily, he reaches the faculty room and makes in just in time as his teacher was still there. He handed over the paper but had a short conversation with his teacher again.

               “Uhm…can I ask something?” Minkyu brings up.

               “Sure, go ahead.”

               “Do you know why Hyeongjun doesn’t speak to anyone?” Minkyu asks, feeling determined to settle the uneasiness he felt.

               “I was about to talk to you about that,” his teacher says and then sighs. He gestures Minkyu to sit on the vacant faculty seat beside his cubicle. “You see…Hyeongjun has this condition. He wasn’t born a mute, but he suddenly stopped speaking. They say it’s because of childhood trauma. I cannot disclose all details, but that’s the gist of it.” His teacher takes off his glasses and sighs again before looking Minkyu in the eyes. “Please take care of him.”

               Minkyu left the faculty room after their talk and rushed back to the classroom. He felt a bunch of emotions in that moment. When he made it back to the room, he saw Hyeongjun sitting on top of a desk by the windown. The new boy turns to see Minkyu who then gives him a tight hug.

 _You’re too nice even when something bad happened to you. You frustrate me_.

               In the midyear of Minkyu’s second year, he felt all kinds of emotions but loneliness wasn’t among them anymore.


	2. Communicate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ello please tell me if my writing sucks :( 
> 
> twitter: @softhyeong

               Two days have passed since Hyeongjun transferred to Minkyu’s class, and so far, things were peaceful. Hyeongjun’s clinginess to Minkyu didn’t lessen one bit – where Minkyu was, Hyeongjun would follow. Minkyu didn’t even try to hide his doting on Hyeongjun, although it attracted a lot of attention. Every time Hyeongjun excuses himself and their class starts to talk about him, Minkyu would step up and defend him.

               “He never really talks, huh?” One of the guys who sat in front of them snickered.

               “Maybe he sounds terrible, that’s why he keeps his mouth shut,” another brutally commented, which made Minkyu snap. Minkyu slammed his hand on his desk and yelled. “I mean, why else would he not speak to us? Has he ever talked to you, Minkyu?” The guy added, which angered Minkyu even more.

               “Ya!” Minkyu exclaimed in anger. He didn’t like how the other kids made fun of Hyeongjun, especially when they don’t know the reason behind the silence. “It’s not something you should make fun of,” he tells all the kids who were badmouthing Hyeongjun.

               “If he speaks, I’ll apologize,” the guy in front responded which triggered Minkyu even more.

               “You little-,” Minkyu raised his voice and stood up from his seat, but a hand pulled his arm back. When he looked at the culprit, it was Hyeongjun who was shaking his head. He softened his expression and took a deep breath. _Did Hyeongjun hear everything?_ Minkyu thought to himself before regaining his composure and smiling at his friend.

               After a minute of silence and tension, their teacher walked in and saw the little gathering. “Did something happen here?” He asked them and glared especially at Minkyu.

               “Nothing sir, I apologize for the misunderstanding,” Minkyu answered – taking responsibility for what happened even though he was only doing the right thing.

 

               That day, Minkyu had a meeting with other class reps so Hyeongjun had to go home alone. Even though Hyeongjun smiled as he waved goodbye to Minkyu, he held back his tears a lot. When he was able to reach the school gate, he stopped and leaned back on the pillar. He loosened the tie on his uniform and tried catching his breath. The tears started flowing and he wouldn’t stop crying until someone approached him.

               “Hey, are you alright?” The person asked, but Hyeongjun just kept crying. “I’m not someone familiar to you, but we’re in the same grade. I’m Wonjin from class 2-4,” the guy said. Following the introduction, Hyeongjun’s crying lessened and he was able to look at Wonjn. “Well…based on your name plate, you’re Hyeongjun,” Wonjin laughs, trying to lighten up the mood. He lent Hyeongjun his handkerchief before saying goodbye since he still had club activities to attend to.

               On the afternoon of that day, Hyeongjun made his second friend and worried about when he’ll return the soggy handkerchief. Aside from Minkyu, Wonjin was the only person who didn’t feel cautious about Hyeongjun’s silence. In silence, Hyeongjun wished that Wonjin would never find out.

               **6:30 PM.** On the way home, Minkyu passed by a small shop that had a wide window. The usually indifferent Minkyu stopped in front of the display window because he saw the perfect item for Hyeongjun. He rushed inside and bought the item – a small price to pay for something…or someone.

               _I hope he likes it_. He prayed as he placed it in his bag. The entire day, he had been thinking of ways on how to make life a little cozier for Hyeongjun to live. He lived a comfortable life himself and he wanted to share that to his precious friend.

Never did he have feelings of empathy for anyone, until Hyeongjun came around. He never felt the urge to care for people because he was too caught up in his own world, that he locked everyone out. He felt sympathy for himself but had trouble feeling that for others. Now that he can experience a new feeling, he feels the urge to give back much more than what he received.

 

               **7:30 AM.** When Hyeongjun arrived, Minkyu told him to sit down quickly because he had something special to give. The confused fellow tried replicating the same excitement Minkyu exuded that morning. Minkyu brought out a journal and a small white board and gave both to his friend. Hyeongjun’s immediate reaction was that he blushed and tried containing his happiness.

               “I stopped by this shop by the bus station on my way home yesterday and saw both displayed there. We can communicate better using the whiteboard and you can use the journal to write down what you feel! You can show me whatever you write the following day,” Minkyu said. While Hyeongjun was speechless, Minkyu had a lot to say. After all, he’s going through a phase in his life where emotions continuously stir and when happiness is an option, he’d grab it unlike before.

               “Oh my god, I hope you like it,” Minkyu tells Hyeongjun, who could sense how flustered he is.

               The first thing Hyeongjun writes on his board is: ‘ _Thank you for allowing me to feel happiness._ ’ Reading it made Minkyu smile brightly and made his heart feel warm because of accomplishment. To Minkyu, it may seem like a simple expression of gratitude, but those few words held a deeper and sadder backstory which Hyeongjun has yet to reveal.

               ‘ _You deserve happiness too._ ’ Hyeongjun wrote beneath the first writing.

               “I’m happy. Don’t worry about me,” Minkyu answers and then messes with Hyeongjun’s hair.

               Hyeongjun erased what he wrote and doodled a big smiley face on it. He hid his face behind the board and showed Minkyu. One thing Hyeongjun felt insecure was his smile because of how awkward it looked for some and he was also hiding the fact that he had been crying last night because of what had happened yesterday. But Minkyu didn’t like it when Hyeongjun hid behind the board. He took the board from Hyeongjun and smiled widely.

               “You can tell me all your worries, okay?” Minkyu told Hyeongjun because he had noticed a while ago how puffy his friend’s eyes were. “I like it better when you’re happy,” he added.

               Although good intentions were there, Hyeongjun still felt sad deep inside. He thought to himself that Minkyu wouldn’t like it if he were to show his true emotions. Because deep inside, Hyeongjun harbored a lot of sadness from his past.

               For his beloved friend, Hyeongjun smiled.


End file.
